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Canberra Today 14°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Magical Gershwin – and bubbly

WE’VE been hearing more and more lately around the traps about Carl Rafferty’s enterprising musical soirées at the Albert Hall. 

Rafferty, foreground, and some of the Tin Pan Alleycats
He and his organisers set the scene with formal tablecloths and silver candelabra, and the audiences to the rest, packing dinner and wine—a kind of indoor picnic. It sounds like a lot of fun.

Next year Rafferty as part of his centenary program “Opera by Candlelight,” he’ll be staging Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” for the, but in the meantime, it’s back to the Jazz age with “Gershwin & friends” from  November 2- 4.

Rafferty promises “scintillating piano, a raucous jazz band, and wonderful singers” and swears he’s wearing his fingers to bone with extra piano practice for a virtuosic rendition of “Rhapsody in Blue” and some wild ragtime.

“You’ll imagine the bright lights on Broadway marquees, the Great Gatsby and extravagant parties, prohibition and bootlegging,” Rafferty rhapsodises.

He’ll be joined by the “Tin Pan Alleycats,” WarwickDunham,  Zach Raffan, Anna Rafferty, Raphael Hudson, Thomas Azoury,  Morgan Merrell and Michael Johnson.

Described by Rafferty as “an old time jazz band, made up of young bloods,” they’ll pay tribute to Gershwin, Scott Joplin, Jerome Kern, Hoagy Carmichael, Irving Berlin and Leroy Anderson.

In what he calls a special encore, they’ll be revisiting Gershwin’s exuberant 1928 trip to Franc ewith a “sensual” rendition of “An American in Paris”.

“Gershwin & friends” at Albert Hall, 6pm to 9.30pm (doors open 5.30pm) November 2, 3 & 4 (Fri/Sat/Sun) bookings to carlrafferty@bigpond.com

Tables are set with eight or nine chairs but booking must be done by table, $60 per person.

And there’s a special  offer for readers of “CityNews”.

Book your table now for “Gershwin & friends” and Jim Murphy’s Market Cellars will offer a selection of of Hardy’s “The Riddle” Brut ReserveNV,  Wolf Blass Bilyara Chardonnay 2011 and Rosemount Diamond Label Shiraz 2010  served at your table. To enjoy this bonus you need to quote: “Enjoy the Good Times” when you book by email: carlrafferty@bigpond.com

Albert dresses up

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Helen Musa

Helen Musa

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